vacations in missouri....(that we haven't done....)

Pythian Castle – Springfield, Mo. This 1913 mansion was built by the Knights of Pythias, a secret society, and later owned by the U.S. Military. Take a history tour to learn all about the castle, or if you're into spooky thrills, take a ghost tour at night—the property was certified as haunted by the TV show Ghost Lab.

Wild Animal Safari – Strafford, Mo. Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Drive your car or ride the free bus tour through the park's 5 miles. Get up close with 70 species, including giraffes, wolves, baboons, alligators, alpacas, tigers and kangaroos.

Mark Twain's boyhood home, Hannibal. Nothing's more Missouri than Mark Twain. Wrap up your excursion with a trip to the beloved author's boyhood home, which has been functioning as a museum since 1912. View personal artifacts, first editions of Twain's works and peek inside the home where he grew up.